The Dude for Senate? Jeff Bridges floated as Democratic candidate

That’s the idea put forward by a new online petition, in hopes of snagging a high-profile Democrat to make a U.S. Senate run in Montana.

The Oscar-winning actor, arguably best known for his iconic role as “The Dude” in the cult classic “The Big Lebowski,” has owned a home in Montana for forty years.

Incumbent Democrat Sen. John Walsh backed out of the race last week, after news broke that he’d plagiarized a 2007 research paper. Walsh’s incumbency was supposed to give the party an advantage in the traditionally conservative state when he was appointed after Democratic Sen. Max Baucus resigned to become the U.S. ambassador to China, but now that he has quit the campaign trail, the Democrats are scrambling to find a candidate to challenge the GOP nominee, Rep. Steve Daines.

“Jeff is a great person. He has loved Montana and all it represents since he first set up residence in Park County four decades ago,” petition writer and Billings resident Lizbeth Pratt wrote. “He has great name recognition! Charisma! Brains! He’s internationally reknowned [sic], but he is also highly accessible. We need The Dude to be Montana’s next U.S. Senator!”

More than 1,000 people have signed the petition as of writing. Walsh will serve the final six months of his term before vacating his Senate seat in January.

“I am ending my campaign so that I can focus on fulfilling the responsibility entrusted to me as your U.S. senator. You deserve someone who will always fight for Montana, and I will,” he said last week.

This wouldn’t be Bridges first foray into politics: In 2012, he attended both the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina and the Republican Convention in Tampa, Florida, promoting the No Kid Hungry campaign, an effort which aims to combat world hunger.